Chapter 18 — Breakfast Changes Destiny

The whole large pot smelled sour. As soon as Minh Nguyet smelled it, her face turned pale: "Mom, I obviously closed the lid last night." Chu Tieu Tue also panicked: "I saw it when I got home, the lid of the pot was tightly closed." Old Qin checked the window again: "The back window has been pried open." Treasurer Do was angry: "Who is so virtuous?" I stared at the bowl of lotus seed paste, still very calm in my heart. "People who are virtuous are often afraid that people will not know that they are virtuous." On the day of the exhibition, I did not make lotus flower cakes, but instead made date cakes and a cinnamon flower rice cake according to my mother's old recipe. In front of the judges' table, Ly Thu Lien indeed appeared. She was wearing a new outfit, standing right behind another stall, with the sign reading Tam Thu Lien Diem. On her tray were lotus cakes. Same pattern, same color. Treasurer Do was angry and tried to rush forward, but I stopped him. I brought my plate of rice cakes and placed them on the judges' table. Ly Thu Lien saw that I didn't bring lotus cakes. The proud look on her face couldn't be hidden: "Miss Lam, didn't make the dish today? Are you afraid that you won't be able to compete?" I looked at the pattern on her cake tray: "Do you dare let the foreman taste it?" Her smile stiffened: "Is there anything you wouldn't dare to?" A foreman picked up a piece of cake, broke it in half and brought it to his nose to smell. His eyebrows immediately frowned: "The filling is sour." The people standing nearby also gathered, some people covered their noses with their hands: "Are you giving this thing to others to eat?" Ly Thu Lien was frantic: "No way! I just made the cake this morning!" I asked her: "Where do you get your lotus seed kernels from?" She gritted her teeth and didn't speak. Old Qin pulled out a thin and sick man from the crowd: "The person who pried open the back window last night was him. Who did he receive the money from? Say for yourself." The other man's legs softened: "It was Ly Thu Lien who gave it to her. She said that if she only ruined Ms. Lam's batch of kernels, then stole the recipe and brought it here, she would be able to become famous at this exhibition." Ly Thu Lien rushed forward to cover his mouth, but was stopped by a female officer. Chu Kien Thanh was also present in the crowd. He originally came to see me humiliated, but at this moment his face was as white as if it had been covered with a layer of flour. I looked at him: "How did she know my back window latch was loose?" Ly Thu Lien suddenly glared at Chu Kien Thanh. Chu Kien Thanh quickly waved his hand: "I didn't incite her to harm you, I just casually said that the back window of the shop is very difficult to close." There was silence in front of the judges' table. Treasurer Do angrily pointed at him: "You're really good. In the front, you stole his wife's skills, in the back, you gave the knife to the enemy." Mrs. Tham stood up with her cane: "The kind of person who does this kind of thing should not participate in the exhibition. Harming their skills and ruining the reputation of others is even dirtier than stealing money." The organizers immediately took down Diem Tam Thu Lien's signboard. Ly Thu Lien still wanted to cry, the foreman pushed the plate of sour lotus seed cake towards her: "Don't cry anymore. Tears can't make cake filling, crying doesn't show skill." Everyone burst out laughing, she covered her face and ran away. Chu Kien Thanh stood rooted to the spot, wanting to say something to me. I spoke first: "Don't apologize. I'm sorry, I have to listen again." His mouth opened and closed again, and finally bowed his head and slowly slipped out of the crowd. My cinnamon flower rice cake won first prize. The foreman asked me right in front of everyone: "Is this recipe also Lieu Van Nuong's?" I nodded: "It was passed down to me from my mother. She told me that the lotus flower must maintain its original mind, and the cinnamon flower must withstand the cold to release its fragrance. In the past, I only knew how to do it, but today I really understand the saying."

say this.” Mrs. Tham smiled and patted my hand: "If your mother is still alive, she will be very happy." After the exhibition, Diem Tam Xuan Duong's reputation was officially consolidated. Chu Kien Thanh was sent to the factory's most miserable workshop. No matter how Vuong Que Lan made a fuss, no one bothered to help. Ly Thu Lien's shop couldn't open, and she was still in debt. She was dragged back by her mother's family. On the day she left, she wanted to come and curse me, but Chu Tieu Tue held a broom to block her right in front of the door. Tieu Tue said: "My mother's store is not allowed to be dirty." I didn't praise her, I just gave her a piece of rice cake. After that, Chu Vien often came to clean, and he never asked for cash again for school fees. One time he put the exam paper with a good score on my kitchen counter, looked away and said shyly: "Mom, can I exchange it for a fountain pen?" I bought him the most ordinary pen: "It doesn't matter if the pen is expensive or not, the writing shouldn't be crooked." The day Minh Nguyet passed the pedagogical school entrance exam in the province, I handed over that lotus-shaped bronze mold to her. She didn't dare to admit it: "Mom, this is something my grandmother left for me." "If a craft can be passed down, then it is called keeping it." I took her hand and placed it on the bronze mold: "But you must remember, no one can borrow the words love to take away your rice bowl."